Chapter 437: Tribal Assault

Within the dense forest halfway up the mountain, Tu Ming revealed his form.He stood approximately seven feet tall, his physique robust, his muscles sharply defined.His complexion was akin to ancient bronze, clad in beast hides, his feet bare, a large serpent coiled around his waist. The serpent was dead, only its husk remaining, yet still remarkably lifelike. The massive serpent head was positioned just above Tu Ming's shoulder, appearing particularly terrifying.As the Great Sacrifice of the Hundred Poisons Tribe, known as Poison Belly, Tu Ming's accessories were also mostly serpent bones and viper scales, with serpent fangs and poison sacs dangling from his necklace.At this moment, he extended his withered fingers, gently pinching a tiny poison sac within the necklace.He tugged the poison sac free and infused it with his magical power.In an instant, the poison sac was restored, expanding to the size of a palm, held aloft by the Poison Belly Great Sacrifice.Tu Ming murmured under his breath, performing hand seals and chanting incantations.Concurrently, he pressed his five fingers upon the poison sac, continuously kneading it.His five fingers were also of an ancient bronze hue, but within the wrinkles and between the joints, they were black as iron.The kneading and squeezing of his fingers were not without pattern, but rather like five venomous serpents coiling upon the surface of the poison sac, constantly twisting and writhing, cold and damply caressing.Tu Ming's lips curled slightly, revealing a sinister smile, his gaze growing colder, radiating heartlessness.Poison Technique — Formless Poison!The hand seals and finger seals combined, and it was upon the foundation of utilizing the poison sac that he unleashed this technique.Tu Ming was a grand cultivator at the Nascent Soul level; to cast a spell with such solemnity and full effort was a sight not witnessed for many years.The poison sac continued to be consumed, gradually collapsing, eventually transforming into a thin membrane.Invisible, odorless, soundless poison gas, guided by Tu Ming's spiritual sense, silently drifted towards the foot of the mountain.There, an army was traversing mountains and waters, pressing forward swiftly, it was precisely the Barbarian-Fiend Army of the Two Zhu Kingdoms.The poison gas floated into the army, unimpeded, spreading rapidly.The numerous barbarian tribesmen and fiend cultivators who inhaled the poison gas continued their march, discussing and laughing amongst themselves, some even shouting, completely unaware of the approach of death."Old Ox, how was the taste of that serpent demon?""What serpent demon, I don't know what you're talking about!""Stop pretending, many people saw you run to that female serpent demon's tent late last night for dual cultivation. Look at you today while marching, this obvious fatigue, you must be drained dry, right?""What nonsense are you spewing! My old ox is strong and robust, dual cultivating seventeen or eighteen times a night, and I would still be vigorous, full of energy, and spirited like a dragon-horse..."Thud.Before he could finish speaking, the Ox-headed Fiend cultivator fell to the ground, expressionless.Dead.The first reaction of the fiend cultivator who had just been speaking was to burst into laughter: "Old Ox is bragging, he's exhausted himself, er..."Thud.He also fell down, his face calm, having lost his life.Thud, thud...A series of cultivators successively collapsed, like stalks of wheat after a storm, falling in swaths.At this moment, the Barbarian-Fiend Camp finally reacted.The cultivator responsible for vigilance struck the alarm bell, simultaneously shouting: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"Thud.The next moment, he also died.But the alarm bell was a magical artifact, and it continued to emit its piercing warning."This is bad, General, someone has poisoned us! Our army has already suffered over a hundred casualties." A subordinate came to report.Xu Dali, seated upon a heavily armored rhinoceros, was greatly startled. He quickly reached out and grabbed the long-handled war hammer hanging from his mount, roaring: "Form ranks, form ranks!"His voice was very loud, stirring up a wave of air that spread outwards. The inner circle of personal guards knew the situation, while the outer circle of elite soldiers heard the commotion, bewildered, and cast questioning glances.The subordinate quickly asked: "General, what formation should we array?""Iron Bucket Formation, form the Iron Bucket Formation first!" Xu Dali roared.His subordinates around him immediately sprang into action. Some held military banners, some arranged weapons, some issued orders.The Barbarian-Fiend Camp was like a bloated bear that, after bleeding and being wounded, was startled awake. Its hairs immediately stood on end, and it began to guard with enraged expressions.On another part of the mountainside.Two Nascent Soul level barbarian cultivators stood side by side.One was Di Lu, his eyes covered with black cloth, his upper body bare, adorned with blood totems, carrying two massive crescent moon blades on his back.One was Gu Ya, with blue hair, wolf claw patterns on his cheeks, holding a fearsome wolf fang club in his hand.Both were of the Nascent Soul level.Gu Ya forcefully stomped, embedding his wolf fang club into the mountain rock.He slightly tilted his head back, puffed out his chest, took a deep breath, then bit his finger, drawing blood.He dipped his finger in the blood and traced it along the wolf claw patterns on his cheeks and forehead.Concurrently, he activated his magical power, channeling it into the wolf claw patterns.Stimulated by both blood and magical power, the patterns seemed to come alive, rapidly growing and spreading across Gu Ya's cheeks and chest.Finally, they spread down his legs and feet into the surrounding mountainside.In a short while, blood-blue patterns formed complex, ancient designs, placing Gu Lang and Di Lu at the very center.Storage Array — Beast Realm · Wolf Mountain!The blood-blue magic formation erupted with intense radiance, and large packs of wolves rushed out from within the light.These ferocious mountain wolves had light gray, dark gray, and also grayish-blue fur.They were all meticulously raised by Gu Ya, possessing considerable strength. The vast majority were at the Qi Refining stage, with the leaders all at the Foundation Establishment stage.There were a total of three Golden Core level commanders, each as large as a calf, who, after emerging from the magic formation, did not charge but stood beside Gu Ya, guarding their general.The wolf packs surged down from the mountainside like a tide, forming a ferocious military force, sweeping towards the Barbarian-Fiend Camp.After unleashing his poison technique, the Poison Belly Great Sacrifice Tu Ming had been observing the Barbarian-Fiend Camp from afar.Seeing the Barbarian-Fiend Camp in a commotion, attempting to form a formation, he couldn't help but sneer: "Iron Bucket Formation? Lu Hongtu was right, this Xu Dali lacks talent and doesn't know how to adapt. How can a mere Iron Bucket Formation withstand my Formless Poison?"Elsewhere, Gu Ya also observed the movements of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp, but his brow was tightly furrowed.Once the Iron Bucket Battle Formation was formed, it would greatly increase the defense of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp, posing immense difficulty for his wolf packs' charge."If my Azure Moon Tribe loses to the Hundred Poisons Tribe, where will our dignity lie?""The Divine Edict demands that we go all out, but if my wolf packs suffer too many losses, how will I face the main forces of the Two Zhu Kingdoms in the future?"Thinking of this, Gu Ya immediately let out a long howl, spread his arms wide, and began to perform a war dance on the spot.The blood-blue patterns on his body, with every ancient, primal dance move, left behind streaks of blood-blue light and shadow in mid-air.The light and shadow intertwined, weaving into the appearance of an altar.Gu Ya ascended the altar and unleashed his technique.Beast Control Technique — Wolf Charge in the Wind!The Wolf Charge technique immediately took effect, causing the wolf packs' speed to increase significantly, rapidly shortening the charging distance.Beast Control is one of the hundred arts of cultivation.In the Thousand Peaks Forest, Gu Ya and Ju Bing were known as the Pig-Wolf Beast Lords. Both had profound attainments in Beast Control technique, which was widely known.The Barbarian-Fiend Camp fell into a panic."Damn, the wolf packs are speeding up!""We won't have time to form ranks, General, what should we do?"A subordinate reported urgently.In the past few days, Xu Dali had also been diligent, as the main general, he had maximized the training volume, but the large number of people made training very difficult, resulting in a relatively low overall training level.At this moment, the military situation was extremely urgent, and the Barbarian-Fiend Camp unexpectedly faltered, unable to quickly form ranks."Form the ranks for me!" Xu Dali roared, his aura erupting, forming a wave of energy.The wave of energy expanded rapidly, sweeping across the entire army in just a few breaths.Military Strategy — Speed is of the Essence in Warfare!As the main general of the army, Xu Dali naturally also cultivated military strategy.He utilized the most classic principle of military strategy, "speed is of the essence," in a competent manner.The wolf packs charged faster, and under the enhancement of military strategy, the Barbarian-Fiend Camp's speed in forming ranks also increased."Men, hold the line for me, no retreat in this battle!" Xu Dali roared.His personal guards and elite soldiers around him accelerated their movements, and the Iron Bucket Formation centered around them was already taking shape.The deputy general compensated for Xu Dali's shortcomings, advising: "Lord, should we request reinforcements from our allies?"Xu Dali was reminded and quickly nodded: "Of course we should request reinforcements, quickly request reinforcements!"Howl!The wolf packs officially clashed with the Barbarian-Fiend Camp.The roughly organized battle line of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp was like rotten tofu, easily torn apart and trampled by the wolf packs.The cultivators of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp screamed repeatedly. After the clash, hundreds of casualties were immediately inflicted!The battle line twisted and could not hold, several gaps were broken through.The wolf packs, like a flood, surged through the gaps and slaughtered their way into the inner circle.But here, they crashed into a steel plate, and their offensive was immediately significantly restrained.Centered around Xu Dali, his personal guards and elite soldiers had already formed a small Iron Bucket Formation.The battle formation provided a massive defense boost to every cultivator participating in the formation, making them like copper skins and iron bones, so that no matter how the mountain wolves tore at them, it was difficult to see effect.On the mountainside, Tu Ming's expression grew a little solemn.The resilience of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp was somewhat beyond his expectation.He saw that the core of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp had stabilized, and although the vast majority of the cultivators outside the core were retreating step by step, it was merely due to the fierce offensive of the wolf packs.Few of them were panicking; most were filled with resentment after being attacked and wanted to counterattack."The morale of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp is still usable!""Gu Ya is too impatient, hindering my disruption of their morale."Tu Ming grew dissatisfied with Gu Ya.His Formless Poison was invisible, colorless, and odorless, and could have caused immense terror to the Barbarian-Fiend Camp, shaking and unsettling their morale.However, the wolf pack attack followed closely, causing the Barbarian-Fiend Camp to not fully experience the terrifying atmosphere brought by the Formless Poison, but instead fall into the intense emotions of fierce combat.The Formless Poison was still effective, but the attention of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp was drawn to the wolf packs. Even if some cultivators mysteriously died beside them, most people couldn't spare a thought for it.Gu Ya's brow was tightly furrowed.His wolf packs also suffered heavy losses from colliding with the small Iron Bucket Formation, with over seventy mountain wolves dying in a short period."Xu Dali's core has not been shaken, and his influence is taking effect. The cultivators near the core circle are attaching themselves. If this is not stopped, a much larger Iron Bucket Formation will soon be formed!""At that time, my wolf packs will suffer even greater losses."Gu Ya felt an impulse, looking at Di Lu, wanting to ask him to charge into the formation and cooperate with him.But upon noticing Gu Ya's gaze, Di Lu decisively shook his head.Gu Ya's deep affection for his wolves was understandable to Di Lu, but Di Lu would absolutely not sacrifice the greater for the smaller. His most important task here was to protect Gu Ya.Di Lu said: "The Hundred Poisons Tribe and my Azure Moon Tribe have both taken action. Don't forget, there is also the Ancient Vine Tribe."Bound by the Divine Edict, he was not at all worried that the people of the Ancient Vine Tribe would be lazy.On another mountaintop.Bi Tengyi, the Nascent Soul cultivator of the Ancient Vine Tribe, and her Golden Core cultivator husband, Cang Tengwang, both cast their gazes towards the battlefield.On the battlefield, the Barbarian-Fiend Camp and the wolf packs were locked in a fierce battle, forming a large area of bloodshed, shattered corpses, and severed limbs.Seeing that Xu Dali's Iron Bucket Formation was expanding, Cang Tengwang took out the massive black bow from behind him.The black bow seemed to be made from deadwood, naturally curved, but without a string.Cang Tengwang stretched out his hand, twirling his white beard and mustache, then suddenly yanked.He tore off some of his hair and brought it close to the black bow.As he cast his spell, the white hair in his hand violently expanded, transforming into pale vines.The white vines were thin yet tough, and highly elastic. They automatically attached themselves, tightly coiling around the upper and lower ends of the black bow, then tightened themselves, pulling the black bow into a greater curve.Cang Tengwang held the black bow in his left hand, pulled the empty string with his right hand, and aimed at the battlefield.He suddenly pulled back, and as he did so, the muscles in his right arm bulged, emitting a strong masculine aura.He pulled the bowstring to its limit, then immediately released it.With a muffled thud, the bowstring straightened itself, trembling violently.Despite having no arrow, a pale mark suddenly appeared on the battlefield, precisely where Cang Tengwang's gaze was fixed.The pale mark immediately solidified, transforming into a pale vine that crushed the cultivator's heart, pierced through his body, causing vines and thorns to sprout from various parts of his body, turning him into a bloody, broken corpse.Thump, thump, thump...Cang Tengwang continuously pulled the string and released it.His black bow was not a weapon, but a magical artifact. Coupled with his eerie spells, it caused vines to grow out of thin air within the cultivators' bodies, taking their lives one by one.Many key figures within the Barbarian-Fiend Camp died mysteriously.These individuals were either holding formation banners, wielding military orders, or even carrying small formation plates.As these individuals perished, the expansion of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp's Iron Bucket Formation immediately came to a halt.Seeing this change, Gu Ya burst into laughter and danced the barbarian dance again.In essence, this was casting spells through body seals.Beast Control Technique — Wolf Howl Shakes the Heart.Beast Control Technique — Wolf Claws Like Weapons!After releasing two spells, Gu Ya was extremely exhausted, half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.He alone enhanced the entire wolf pack, which was extremely taxing even at the Nascent Soul level. Especially since the wolf pack had already clashed with the Barbarian-Fiend Camp, they were affected by the military energy of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp, causing the difficulty and consumption of casting spells to rise sharply.The wolf packs, receiving the enhancement, let out howls, powerfully shaking the mental defenses of the Barbarian-Fiend Camp cultivators.Their wolf claws were covered with a layer of metallic sheen, becoming incredibly sharp, like weapons.The wolf packs' offensive increased significantly, slaughtering the Barbarian-Fiend Camp, sending heads rolling and bodies falling."Damn it, controlling the wolf packs, it must be Gu Ya, I'll kill him!" Seeing his side suffering heavy losses, Xu Dali was enraged, his eyes filled with blood, intending to go alone to confront Gu Ya."General, please do not be rash."The deputy general quickly restrained Xu Dali. Without Xu Dali there, the small Iron Bucket Formation that had just stabilized would also be in jeopardy.